Canuckistani

The US is a mixed economy, same as all the other Western countries. There's no pure laissez faire capitalist western country, and no pure socialist one either. Because it happens that the middle way works the best, ideology be damned. The only question is how much the state gets in involved and where.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_fascism#General_characteristics_of_fascist_economies That latter sounds like the US of today. It doesn't sound like socialism.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/01/13/the-economist/

So you're not better than them?

Socialism is the state owning the means of production. Wasn't true in Germany. The rest of the arguments about GDP etc, is just nonsense. If you have private enterprise, it's not a socialist state.

I probably agree. But all embassies do this stuff, don't they? China certainly does, including with their Confucius Institutes. What's so special about the Iranians? Are they really that much more of a threat than other countries/

The Arab because I would get diversity brownie points. But how often do you get two exactly equal candidates? Maybe their education is equivalent, but the white guy has Canadian experience. Or your business has a large middle eastern clientele and the Arab will do better with them. What is their deportment and how do they fit in culturally with our norms - if he has an accent he's an immigrant from a much different culture. So it may not be exactly racism that chooses one over the other, but racial/ethnic qualities. And if the business owner is Arab, who will he choose if both are equal?

5 - We are hardwired to win. As in survive. And we get very sad and sick if we continually lose - if we haven't already been eaten. 4 - Lotteries 3 - even more co-operative societies had winners and losers. The winners were better at co-operation and got status that way. Doubt there's ever been a society that didn't have a status hierarchy and mating based on it. 2 - I think we are hardwired for double standards - as in we don't apply the same standards to ourselves as others - we are the center of the universe, after all. Takes a lot of work to overcome that. 1 - I think you have some good points here. Facts are often very slippery.

So which is it, people who are against circumcision are antisemites, or it actually has nothing to do with religion? I reduces senstivity of the glans, not sure how that enhances sexual feeling. If you find an uncircumcised penis difficult to clean you probably ride the short bus to school. What are the drawbacks: http://www.examiner.com/article/circumcision-s-complications-what-could-go-wrong Or you could call up David Reimer in Winnipeg, and ask him. No, wait, you can't, because he finally committed suicide. As for the memory, we carry memories in our body we have no conscious awareness of. Doesn't mean they don't affect us.

I don't support native privileges or the Indian act. At the same time, it has to be recognized that we did take their land. How we solve that conundrum in an equitable manner is beyond me. I do know that I'm against treaties that don't have an extinguishment clause. We need to find a way to integrate Natives where they have the same rights and responsibilities as everybody else. Never happen I guess. They will probably go from being a disadvantaged group to a permanently advantaged one.

I agree that our laws on self-defense could be changed a bit, but I sure don't want to go the stand your ground route. I believe in longer sentences, but not necessarily incarceration. Ie possibly longer periods of parole with stricter supervision, but also better supports. In prison we need much more emphasis on rehabilitation. And we need much better access to drug treatment and mental health services. Then there will be the few who just can't be helped, and need to be locked up for long periods. But first we need to help the ones that can be helped.

Like this: or this: or this: wiki

The modern right and corporate capitalism certainly doesn't have much to do with Adam Smith either. He's far too left for them.

Spoiling your ballot is a perfectly legitimate protest. It means as much as your one little vote for a particular candidate. I wish people would do it more if they really feel none of the candidates merits their votes. Certainly more effective than just staying home. I'l admit I've never done it myself, because often I vote against somebody as much as for anybody, ie strategic voting, other times I voted for a smaller party to give them the buck eighty they used to get per vote. With the CPC having eliminated that, maybe I'll be more likely to spoil my ballot.

This is why I can't believe that people in Ontario voted for this man. Very parochial thinking.

I think the term you're looking for is fascim. You could look it up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

My understanding is that the Taliban virtually eliminated opium during their reign. They've now adapted to the NATO invasion by promoting the opium trade in order to finance their operations. Another unintended consequence.

And the CPC is changing the focus to that, so good for them. But, it makes no sense to keep importing people with the skills we need, when we don't have a good system for training Canadians first. It just means that some Canadians are condemned to underemployment, which surely will cause resentment to all those immigrants who do get the good jobs. Also, does it makes sense to bleed off the cream from third world countries who have gone to the expense to educate them? Seems like a form of colonialism to me. Although from what I read, a lot of these top people are now going back home, because opportunities are better there. Probably after they've attained Canadians citizenship, so they can run back here if things don't work out back home. So they never develop a sense of attachment to either country. Meanwhile we keep taking in thousands of under educated, non English/French speaking people who don't do so well once they get here. It does keep wages down tho, and some people think that's a good thing.

Would you consider somebody that's part of Al Qaeda to be guilty just by being a member? How is that different than the Hell's Angels? Do you believe that crap that they're just a motorcycle club and maybe a few members happen to do crimes? Same with the Red Scorpions, UN gang, Independent soldiers and all the HA associate clubs? Just a bunch of good ole boys who like to have a little fun?

Sad what Islam has sunk to in so many countries. When it was first conquering it's world, it was a paragon of enlightenment for its times, including how it treated women and minorities. Certainly had the Europeans beat. But then Europeans went thru the enlightenment and began to set new standards of civilization. I wonder if the West is now on the same path as Islam, will lose it's way and we will once again be rightfully deemed the barbarians by whoever is shining the light at the time? Good luck with that philosopher kings form of govt, Argus. I don't think it has ever been successfully put into practice. True elites are about service, not accumulating power and prestige and demanding obeisance as you do. Elites have their ego trips worked out. I guess the closest is the old Tibetan system, and it had slavery, hit squads and a bullshit form of death penalty. But it was certainly rule by an elite, no nepotism at all. The proper term for it is oligarchy.

Like that Texas woman who asked: "wha caint all people use English the way Jaysus daid?"

I don't think it can be argued that immigration has increased crime overall. Immigrants, as a group, have lower crime rates, AFAIK. But, you do get pockets of problems, especially with gangs. The Vietnamese in Vancouver (who came in as refugees, yet) took violence to a whole new level. The Indo-Canadian community itself has anguished about why so many of its youth turned to gangs. The Chinese brought there very well developed Tong system with them. So that certainly hasn't bee a benefit.

So you're the American version of these Canadians? Got it. What is it that makes you always gaze at what we're doing and tell us how poorly we're doing it? Not enough to keep you interested at home? As you say, most Americans don't know about Canada - why have you taken on the mission of trying to convert us? I would have thought your messianic impulse is sorely needed at home, what with the cultural war you've got going there, the commie Kenyan president you have subverting your most cherished values etc. Shouldn't you be fighting the good fight at home?

Vs your cavalry that just killed the First Nations? Our PM made an apology, and survivors are getting reparations. What are you all doing? Guess you don't have to pay reparations to dead people. What any of this has to do with current school systems is beyond me. So one Canadian criticized the Canadian healthcare system. Wow. You all have no critics of your system? And her claims were rebutted - but of course you don't believe the rebuttal. How so? And you know for a fact that we don't do abortions as medically necessary, but not just if the mother insists on it? Got something to back that up, that we had a doctor refuse to perform a medically necessary operation? Possibly a cesarean is the preferred option for late term medical interventions.

Well, you're right. According to WHO, we're #30 and the US is #38. We do it for 10% of GDP, the US does worse for 18% of GDP. So arguing for the US system doesn't make much sense. We should look to France and other European nations to see what we could learn from them. But our discussion just always gets dragged into us vs the idiots down south. We've got US insurance companies just slathering at the mouth to move into Canada, right wing nut bars that want to sell our precious healthcare system down the road. And it seems, we get Americans coming onto Canadians Forums to tell us what our problems are. I don't get that. I wonder if Canadians do the same thing on American forums. Wouldn't get that either. We debate American politics because they have such a huge impact on us, but I would never presume to go on an American forum and tell them what's wrong with them. That's for them to figure out. I hope they do.